Conversation with a Urantia Book Believer #2
This article is an actual e-mail conversation that was held over a several day period with a second believer in The Urantia Book (note: the companion article is Conversation with a Urantia Book Believer #1). As you read this conversation, you will come face to face with how using worldview principles can help a person get right to the heart of the validity of any belief system. Before engaging these individuals, I had never heard of the Urantia Book. As you will be able to tell, it is not at all necessary to know all of the various doctrines of a belief to get at whether or not it is true. In the case of The Urantia Book it is readily apparent that the authority it claims is totally and completely without any foundation. It is my hope that as you read the conversation, you will see how an understanding of worldview principles will help you as you deal with people who have other beliefs.
Please note that there are places in the e-mails where the other person’s words are picked up and used as the basis for addressing particular issues. To make it easier for you, the reader, these words are in red. Also note that I am using the initial “MJ” as the name of the other person in the conversation.
April 5, 2007
Dear Freddy,
I have been on the sidelines, reading over your shoulder these past few days, so to speak. LW and I usually copy one another on questions and replies with inquirers, just so that we can help each other stay true and helpful, rather than not…
I hope you have the time for one more letter, one more perspective.
You dialog with LW has been very interesting to me. I did visit your MarketFaith site this morning, and read the recent article regarding Worldview and its importance in understanding God In context. I agree with so much of what is there and the way it is laid out. For example, I totally agree with you that the proper worldview makes a big difference in how we see God. I agree that our God is a personal God, that we can have communication with God, and that one has to exercise discernment in “hearing” that communication.
In your last letter to LW, you wrote:
“my main interest, before I get too deep into studying the specifics of any belief system, is to try and understand why I should pay any attention to it in the first place.”
It is my recollection that you came across Truthbook as a result of having our Easter flash “Jesus Has Risen From The Dead” forwarded to you from a friend. You evidently liked it, and it evidently touched a nerve or in some way piqued your interest sufficiently that you have made this three to four day foray into unfamiliar territory. I have to applaud that. And it says one thing to me: that you are a bonafide Truth-seeker. Why else spend this kind of time?
I wonder if you have any belief in so-called “co-incidence?” I think every person who walks with God can cite times that he or she was led to a person, place or thing that ended up impacting their life in a significant way. Later on we say – “thank You, God, for leading me there, for it has helped me know You better.” I certainly feel that way about the circumsatnces that led me to The Urantia Book nearly 25 years ago. I know of a certainty in my Spirit that He held my hand all the way, even though I was, like you, pretty wary of it at first.
My point is, that since you do enjoy a personal walk with God, maybe you might want to pay attention to His prompts, and go where He leads. And it seems to me that He led you here. Not only led you here, but He has kept you here for a rather long time. And that is “why” you might want to pay more attention. From my perspective, you are clearly wanting some sort of permission to do so. I would say that the best permission has already been given – God led you here. Trust that.
If you hold some kind of apprehension that you might be doing the wrong thing by pursuing this study, I would say, simply approach it prayerfully, and with the understanding that you can back off if it does not feed your Spirit. You know that God will be with you every step of the way, so what is there to fear?
I am sure you would agree that even when we have our relationship with God, with the Savior, in place, that there is ALWAYS something more to know, something more to learn, something more that is revealed to us. God is not static. God is infinite. There will never be a time when we know everything there is to know about Him. The concept of an eternal life with Him seems very reasonable, since it will take all that time, and more, to grasp Him altogether. And on the other side of that, God has deigned to place Himself inside the minds of all his lowly mortal children for the express purpose of, not only loving them, but also experiencing with them the faith-adventure of this earthly life. How wonderful is that? And why not let Him help us to grow ever closer to Him by trusting His loving lead?
Freddy, I honor and respect Biblical teaching. In fact, it was not until I really explored The Urantia Book that I developed an intense interest in the Bible. Before that, as a Catholic, I did not pay it much mind. Catholics are not known for Bible-reading, save for the NT. But I was struck over and over by its truth, and have several versions which I keep as reference works.
But my real religion is inside my heart and inside my mind, where I also maintain my very personal relationship with God, and Jesus, as the Spirit of Truth. Once I had gleaned certain truths from reading the Urantia Book, I became a faith-child of God, and from there, I have never looked back. It bothers me not a whit that the Urantia Book came from celestial personalities. Where do we suppose the Bible scriptures came from? Were they not “divinely inspired?” Do we suppose that God has somehow stopped speaking to His people for the past 2000 years? Why would He do that? (Just asking questions that have quite obvious answers to my way of thinking…)
Well I guess I have taken up about enough of your time, Freddy. I haven’t gone over any territory that LW covered, as he did it so well, and gave you so many references and ideas of things to look at. If you haven’t gotten a good enough reason to pay attention by now, I would say that you might as well let it rest for now, and pray to Father to show you more of His will for you…
Sincerely,
MJ
Truthbook.com
April 5, 2007
MJ,
What a gracious note, and I thank you for your kind words. Since you are having the opportunity to look over Larry’s shoulder, I will not make any effort to rehash anything that we have dealt with. We have, certainly, gotten a pretty good back and forth going.
There is one thing you said though that I will comment on. I agree with you concerning what you are calling “co-incidence.” I certainly do believe that God intervenes in our lives to give us opportunities to know him better. Let me suggest, though, that this “co-incidence” may be for you and LW, to come to a deeper understanding of “The Truth,” rather than for me.
I am glad you enjoyed my newsletter. If you are interested in worldview, there is a lot of great material there.
Feel free to write any time.
God bless,
Freddy
April 5, 2007
Dear Freddy,
After writing my note, it occurred to me that you might see it that way. But, as I told you in my note, there is no going back for me. To return to the Biblical view of my Father in Heaven and to its anemic portrayal of the Master is not an option for me now. That is my choice, made from my God-given, and God-directed free will. To regress would be a big backward step, and not fitting for this child of God.
My Father gives me ample personal evidence that I have made the right choice, and I have no fear of Him – only great awe, respect, and love. That love is returned – again and again. Why would I go back? Personal experience of God is always the best teacher, and the most true. He sustains me always. I stand on a rock-solid foundation which cannot be shaken. For this, I thank Him, and praise Him always.
May our good God bless you with an ever-enlarging revelation of His goodness, His mercy and His love. That is my prayer for you this Easter season, Freddy.
Stay tuned…
Sincerely,
MJ
April 5, 2007
MJ,
I am certainly not suggesting you go back. What I am suggesting is that your previous understanding of God was also flawed. I will not say much here, since the e-mails to LW are much more detailed, but other than your personal attachment to your way, I simply do not see any valid reason to look to the Urantia book – and people from virtually every belief system have used that kind of reasoning to justify their beliefs.
What I am suggesting is that your Catholic understanding of God was not accurate and your association with the Urantia Book has made you more open to a relationship with him. I respect that deeply. What I am saying is that you can have that exciting and meaningful relationship with him in the context of a faith that not only allows it, but has supporting evidence to indicate that it is actually “The Truth.”
Of course, your choices are your own, but perhaps you might consider a new possibility.
By the way, are you familiar with the information at the following website. I came across it as I was exploring more about the Urantia Book. http://logosresourcepages.org/FalseTeachings/urantia1.htm
God bless,
Freddy
April 5, 2007
Dear Freddy,
A faith that “allows it?” What are you talking about? Faith is faith. True faith is alive – it’s living – and as such it grows over time, given practice and direction. Faith needs no permission. It is what it is, and it’s fruits reveal it’s validity – nothing else can. Any box one tries to put around an individual’s faith is simply a fiction, and an attempt to capture that progressive soul in a set of rules and regulations that eventually thwart and make stagnant that living faith. I don’t need “supporting evidence.” I am a born-again, faith-child of the living God. I have all the evidence I need, and it is a constant supply, and is quite personal, and quite real.
Look Freddy – I am no intellectual giant. And I admit I am not very good at these kinds of go-arounds. But I know what I know, and I cannot un-know it.
You came to Truthbook with questions and concerns, and while I have believed you to be sincere, I now am beginning to doubt your sincerity. Neither LW or I have tried to “convert” you, or to change you in any way – we only have tried to honestly and sincerely answer the questions that you posed. And they are good questions. And they were good answers, too, if you had ears to hear, and if you were sincere in your quest for such answers. I question that, now.
I may have been wrong about you as a truth-seeker as well, for one who is a sincere truth-seeker will at least entertain different ideas until they know for a certainty that they are not Truth. Instead, you have remained reluctant to accept any suggestions given and are now attempting to tell me that I am missing something that you seem to have gotten from Bible teachings. I am telling you that I do not rely on the Bible, and will not rely on the Bible, let alone the Catholic faith of my youth. You have correctly noted that that was not accurate, and I am telling you that, in my view, the Biblical view is woefully lacking as well. As they say – “been there, done that…”
Your words are those of a person whose mind is not open, and when the mind is not open, it does not work all that well when trying to digest new ideas. You have given no new ideas for consideration that I can see. You simply serve warmed-over Biblical beliefs. If that’s where you are, God bless you. You appear to be quite comfortable with that, and I know that the Father honors the faith that you do have, just as He honors mine.
You wrote: “Of course, your choices are your own, but perhaps you might consider a new possibility.”
Ditto.
Sincerely,
MJ
April 5, 2007
MJ,
Faith that has no foundation is presumption, not faith. Even faith has to be established on something. There are many people who make the same exact statement that you have made, but who hold drastically different, even opposite, points of view from yourself. Opposite points of view cannot both be the Truth at the same time. I simply do not see the foundation for faith in the teachings of the Urantia Book. I have opened myself up to you to show it to me, but all I get is, “I don’t need “supporting evidence.” I am a born-again, faith-child of the living God. I have all the evidence I need, and it is a constant supply, and is quite personal, and quite real.” If you can live with that, it is your choice and I don’t have any harsh things to say to you. It is just that I don’t see God operating that way.
Please don’t think that I am insincere in my faith. I am deeply devoted to Christ and have fully given my life to him. I had no pretense when I wrote LW. I never said I was looking for another way to direct my faith. I had simply never heard of your religion and wanted to find out more about it. I would rather get my information first hand to the highest degree possible than simply take the word of outsiders. You know that most outsiders are going to give a negative evaluation.
That is why I contacted you guys in the first place. If you thought otherwise, it was not because I ever gave you that indication. As I said before, my interest is in worldview, and to get at that requires approaching things a little differently than what is the usual case. My questions for LW were not malicious. They were designed to get at the nature of your faith – its foundation.
I appreciate that you have found the faith of your Catholic youth to be deficient. But, before you make the judgment that my Biblical understanding is deficient, you really need to know what my faith involves. You know what you think it is, but I really don’t think you actually know what it is. You have done what LW accused me of doing.
My mind is open to the extent that if you can show me why I should consider the Urantia Book to be the Truth, I will consider it. But you simply have not. Over and over again all you say is “it just is.” I’m sorry if that is not enough for me, but I can’t distinguish that from the arguments of the Mormons or the Muslims.
I truly do wish you the best and that your continual search for Truth will get you there.
God bless,
Freddy
April 6, 2007
Dear Freddy,
Thanks for the good wishes. The same to you. I have no intention or desire to convince you of anything. I am simply trying my best to answer the questions you pose.
The faith that I possess is a gift of God. It is the same gift that He makes available to all His children. The authority and foundation of that faith is the Spirit of God which dwells in me. I do not rely on the theologies of men, or the traditions of established religions, but rely solely on God, and the matchless teachings of the Master, who represented and revealed God-as-Father while here on earth. For me, there is no other authority. I am free – a liberated son of God. If that is not your cup of tea, that is your choice, and nothing bad will ever happen to you because you have chosen a path of safety and tradition. You are certainly not alone. I have no judgment about your faith. That is between you and God – a truly sacred relationship.
As I said before, I am not really good at these kind of exchanges. I am not an intellectual giant, but I am a sincere truth-seeker. My search has been rewarded – richly.
I probably will not be writing back to you again, Freddy, because frankly, I am tired of this. I feel certain that you are not really desiring answers, although you claim to be doing just that. It just doesn’t jibe with these dialogs. I remind you that you came to us, not the other way around. You have steadfastly challenged LW, and now me, to tell you why you should look at the Urantia Book. If you really wanted to know about it, you would try it for yourself, but you seem to prefer to continue the challenge. I don’t get it – and it seems that this could end up being an endless cycle – not something I am interested in.
I still hope you will give yourself permission to do some personal investigation of the Urantia Book sometime. Satisfy your own curiosity. Maybe you can try praying about it, and be not afraid of the answer you might get. Let God decide for you if the Urantia Book is worthy of your time. You can’t go wrong that way.
I am going to end with a few quotes for the Urantia Book for your consideration. Some might be off-topic, but they are food for thought:
p2083:4 195:9.8 The world needs more firsthand religion. Even Christianity, the best of the religions of the twentieth century, is not only a religion about Jesus, but it is so largely one which men experience secondhand. They take their religion wholly as handed down by their accepted religious teachers. What an awakening the world would experience if it could only see Jesus as he really lived on earth and know, firsthand, his life-giving teachings! Descriptive words of things beautiful cannot thrill like the sight thereof, neither can creedal words inspire men’s souls like the experience of knowing the presence of God. But expectant faith will ever keep the hope-door of man’s soul open for the entrance of the eternal spiritual realities of the divine values of the worlds beyond.
p2083:6 195:9.10 Christianity is threatened by slow death from formalism, overorganization, intellectualism, and other nonspiritual trends. The modern Christian church is not such a brotherhood of dynamic believers as Jesus commissioned continuously to effect the spiritual transformation of successive generations of mankind.
Next, this group pf passages, very inspiring ones for me, and a model that I strive to emulate – also a commentary on my own faith-foundation:
JESUS enjoyed a sublime and wholehearted faith in God. He experienced the ordinary ups and downs of mortal existence, but he never religiously doubted the certainty of God’s watchcare and guidance. His faith was the outgrowth of the insight born of the activity of the divine presence, his indwelling Adjuster. His faith was neither traditional nor merely intellectual; it was wholly personal and purely spiritual.
p2087:4 196:0.4 In the Master’s life on Urantia, this and all other worlds of the local creation discover a new and higher type of religion, religion based on personal spiritual relations with the Universal Father and wholly validated by the supreme authority of genuine personal experience. This living faith of Jesus was more than an intellectual reflection, and it was not a mystic meditation.
p2087:5 196:0.5 Theology may fix, formulate, define, and dogmatize faith, but in the human life of Jesus faith was personal, living, original, spontaneous, and purely spiritual. This faith was not reverence for tradition nor a mere intellectual belief which he held as a sacred creed, but rather a sublime experience and a profound conviction which securely held him.
Lastly, this quote from the Master:
p1537:4 137:8.17 “John came preaching repentance to prepare you for the kingdom; now have I come proclaiming faith, the gift of God, as the price of entrance into the kingdom of heaven. If you would but believe that my Father loves you with an infinite love, then you are in the kingdom of God.”
So simple – so profound.
Peace, brother…Happy Easter!
MJ
April 6, 2007
MJ,
I think I have said this several times, but let me say it again. I was not looking for a new revelation when I contacted LW, nor was I spoiling for a fight. I simply came across something I was not familiar with and wanted to know more about it. I have been neither deceptive nor malicious. If you have thought otherwise on any of these things, then it had more to do with your own preconceptions than anything I have said.
Perhaps you are right that a continued dialogue will not be productive. However, please allow me one more response to what you have just written. You have made some pretty harsh criticisms of me.
First let me say that I fully agree with much of what you have written. There certainly is a need for more first hand religion, and formalism, overorganization and nonspiritual trends are a detriment to faith. However, you have made a very wrong assumption. You have assumed that these things discount the possibility that ultimate truth can be found in Christianity. That is like saying that we need to eliminate institutional hospitals because some doctors are bad and some hospitals are not up to standard. The problem is not in the institution, it is that some individuals need to get their act together. I hate to tell you this, but the exact same problem exists with people who follow the Urantia Book (and every other religion, for that matter). It is a constant struggle for all of us to keep our faith fresh.
I think the evaluation you have made of me is totally unfair. If there was ever a person who was open to the truth, I am that person. I do believe that I have found it in the Bible. Being open to the truth does not mean you are always flitting around looking for something new. It does mean that I recognize that I don’t know everything and that God is still teaching me new things about himself and his ways. That being said, I firmly believe that the understanding of God is found in the Bible, not the Urantia Book.
Still, I opened myself up to you and offered you the opportunity to show me why I should allow the Urantia Book to usurp my devotion to God based on the Bible (something, by the way, that I did not ask from you, and which you did not reciprocate). Simply put, all you basically ever said is, “because I said the Truth is there.” I think that is unreasonable. Faith must be built on some foundation, and the foundation you have offered up until now is not supportable.
Not only have I given myself permission to read the Urantia Book, I have actually read some of it. And while many of the things it espouses are good and much of the language is pretty, there is no support for the historical claims it makes. It has more in common with a novel than anything else. That is where the difference lies between the Urantia Book and the Bible. The Urantia Book simply “dropped out of the sky” with no context and no objective backing whatsoever. There is historical, archeological and other evidence to back up the information in the Bible. It seems to me that you are the one who is being defensive, here, and are not giving yourself permission to investigate whether or not the Bible is the more reliable document.
It is not my intention to put you down for your faith. I admire that fact that you have put some effort into your faith life – something most people don’t do (including many Christians, as you have rightly pointed out). But something is true, and everything else is not. We all select our life path and live with the consequences, temporal and eternal, of our choices. The stakes are pretty high.
I wish for you the very best, and Happy Easter to you, too.
God bless,
Freddy
April 6, 2007
OK, Freddy. Last go. Here’s what you wrote:
Not only have I given myself permission to read the Urantia Book, I have actually read some of it. And while many of the things it espouses are good and much of the language is pretty, there is no support for the historical claims it makes. It has more in common with a novel than anything else. That is where the difference lies between the Urantia Book and the Bible. The Urantia Book simply “dropped out of the sky” with no context and no objective backing whatsoever. There is historical, archeological and other evidence to back up the information in the Bible.
You wrote asking about the Urantia Book, wanting to know why you should look at it. We gave you reasons. I explained the “authority” idea from my point of view – maybe you missed that.
You looked at the book. You don’t like it. OK.
You further wrote: It seems to me that you are the one who is being defensive, here, and are not giving yourself permission to investigate whether or not the Bible is the more reliable document.
You contacted us, not the other way around. I never have been open to returning to Bible study. I am not now open to investigating the Bible, Freddy.
I told you – I have already done that, and, as you are not interested in the Urantia Book, I likewise, am not interested in the Bible.
And you know what?
It’s all good. God’s in His heaven and all’s right. We will both be fine because we love God, and He loves us. No worries…
Please let it go now.
MJ
April 6, 2007
MJ,
I get it. I am not trying to force your hand. I certainly did write you first, but as I have said several times, I was not looking for a new source of truth, though I did allow you the opportunity to give me a reason to look further. I was only looking for information because I had never heard of your group before. But just because I contacted you first does not really address the issue that you seem to be disturbed with me about.
I completely understand your answer and that you see the authority source as within yourself. I get it. And I get that you are not open to other ideas and that you are not interested in the Bible. That is certainly your prerogative and I respect your decision, even though I believe you are wrong. What I don’t understand is your defensiveness. I am not attacking you.
I also get that you are not worried about your eternity. That does concern me on a personal level, but you have to make your own path. I respect that. I cannot and would never try to live your life for you.
I sincerely wish for you the best.
God bless,
Freddy
April 7, 2007
Dear Freddy,
I thought we were pretty much done with this conversation, but I came across this thread on the Truthbook Forum, and thought of you.
It will give you the perspective of other people who read the Urantia Book, and why they think it’s very real, and very valuable. I think it might help to hear from others on this, who probably say it better than I did…
http://forums.truthbook.com/viewtopic.php?t=2063
Happy Easter! – mj
April 7, 2007
MJ,
I am very surprised to hear from you again. Thank you for thinking of me.
Actually, I think that your explanation is at least as good as any of those I read at the link you sent. Basically, they are saying the same thing. There is no objective reason for accepting the teachings of the Urantia Book, it is only because of the interesting narrative and an internal desire to believe it. I do get it. The basis of authority is within the individual and not based on any objective evidence that can be brought to bear. There is no need to even discuss the actual contents. It doesn’t claim infallibility, so it is possible that there are some things in it that are not true. But no problem, right?
I’m sorry, but that approach to Truth is a dead end. Something is not true just because a person, or group of people believe it is. There are a lot of people who believe a lot of things that simply are not true.
In spite of the fact that I thought you had cut me off, I have continued to look at your material and the more I look the stranger it gets. Perhaps I am not understanding this correctly but, in the time lines and other materials I read, it seems that you believe that certain celestial beings are actually on earth right now to teach humans. Is that correct? Also, it appears that you personally, along with those who “let themselves” are actually channelers to receive communications from teachers somewhere out there in the cosmos. Am I close?
Happy Easter to you, too.
God bless,
Freddy
April 8, 2007
Dear Freddy,
The only reason I sent that link was to let you see some spontaneous kinds of responses of others who hold this book so dear. That’s all. And I felt that maybe I had been too abrupt with you, and that is not the way I like to be. I consider anyone who comes my way to be worthy of my best. I like to treat all people as I think Jesus would treat them. He was kind, and He always tried to speak to the Spirit within in his dealings with others.
I really don’t want to get back into the give and take kind of dialog we were having, because if anything seems a dead-end to me, it is that. I am not good at it, and I don’t care for it. In addition, I have told you everything that I feel is important in answer to your quesitons.
Having said that, I wanted to leave you with just a few comments, and then I am really done – honest!
I am glad you are still exploring because there is a ton of stuff out there that you can research and look into, as you are finding out. There’s plenty of controversy in any religion or religious movement. In the Urantia community there are splinter movements, and explorations of the beneficent Spirit realms – people of faith and truth-seekers are always wanting to know more. Angels are real, the celestial hosts are all around us, and yes – there are those who listen to teachers, but this is an offshoot of the Urantia Book that, while connected in some ways, is in no way “mainstream” among most readers. Many are not in agreement with these things at all, but are stictly devoted to only to the book itself.
The Urantia Book stands alone, and is what it is, regardless of any other offshoots that may have been created as a result of people’s desire to know more about God. God leads all of us into all Truth, eventually. I trust that, and I go where He leads me, for I have dedicated my life and my will to just that – allowing myself to be led by His Spirit whch dwells within. I have never been disappointed using that approach to my life.
You wrote:
“The basis of authority is within the individual and not based on any objective evidence that can be brought to bear. “
I just want to comment on this statement. That is right. There is no objective evidence that could make you want to read this book. All evidence is in the realm of personal spiritual experience. There is no way for anyone to convey that to another who has not had a similar experience. Faith is like that – not objective, but very subjective. One has it, or one doesn’t. We both have faith, so I hope you can appreciate that analogy.
You either are drawn to the book, or not. You seem drawn in a certain way, but I suspect that it is more a matter of your wanting to discredit and find any flaws. That’s okay. Although the revelation of this book is for all mankind, not all of us are willing or able to comprehend it yet. I suspect you are in the former group. You are a skeptic, and I can’t fault you for that. The age-old draw of the authoritarian theologies is still very strong in mankind. Jesus found this in His life on earth, and it is still true today.
But for most of the book – the parts that we probably both agree on – that of the Fatherhood of God, and the divinity of Jesus, life eternal, and the Kingdom of Heaven – those are true, and those are the most important things I have learned from it. It “rang true” for me the first time I opened it. I did not approach it with my intellect, but with my Spirit, which was starving for Truth – For God – at that time. Because of that, it is my path. My Father and I walk together always.
I am glad you are devoted to Jesus – in that we certainly are in agreement. I will keep you in my prayers. Maybe you’ll return the favor.
Best Wishes
MJ
April 8, 2007
Dear MJ,
I appreciate your sensitivity. You are obviously a very nice and sincere person. It would be a pleasure to know you in person. You have certainly answered my questions and, as you have affirmed, I understand your answers. I also understand your distaste for most give and take situations. Even though we come to different conclusions about the nature of the truth, I hope that you don’t consider our dialogue to have been distasteful. I have certainly not meant you any ill will, nor am I on a “witch hunt” to try and put you down. My interest is in the truth, not in trying to out-debate anyone. My contrary comments are not for the purpose of putting you down, but to deal with the issues that support or discredit truth claims.
Since I imagine this will be our last communication, I would like to respond to a couple of your comments which do not quite reflect my sentiments. I simply want to make a couple of clarifications so that I feel understood.
First, contrary to what you may think, I am not drawn to the Urantia Book. I, perhaps, could be drawn to it, if there was some kind of basis for it, but you have failed to give me any basis for that. I don’t mean any disrespect at all, but the book has all of the earmarks of a fairy tale and no basis for taking it as a serious history. “Ringing true” in your spirit is not the same is “being true.”
I know that you don’t like me putting it that way, but it is really no different than the characterization you have made of my faith as being an authoritarian theology. My affirmation is that when a person finds freedom in Christ, it is an authentic freedom. On top of that, I affirm that my freedom comes from a Biblical understanding of who God is and what he is like.
You mentioned that we probably agree on the issues of the Fatherhood of God, the divinity of Jesus, eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. We certainly agree that these are important concepts for our faith, but I doubt very seriously that we agree on the meaning of those terms. In Christian theology, the Fatherhood of God does not mean that everyone is eternally related to God. Biblical Christianity is not a universalist religion and people don’t automatically go to heaven when they die. Rather, a person’s relationship with God is based on one’s personal decision. God is considered to the be creator of all and he loves all, but a person must make a personal commitment to Christ based on his sacrificial death and resurrection in order to be adopted into God’s family. Those who refuse are destined to eternal separation from him.
I have one last clarification based on what you last wrote. I believe that your understanding of the nature of faith is not right. There certainly are some things that we can’t empirically prove and must accept by faith. That being said, faith is not blind. It must have some foundational basis. For instance, I don’t imagine you believe in unicorns. But why not? They are mentioned in certain stories which have the exact same amount of objective verification as the Urantia book. It would be very easy for someone to say, “Even though no one has ever seen one, the story ‘rings true to me’ and I feel an identification with unicorns.” They could easily believe that unicorns exist in some part of the world where they have never been discovered. That, though, is not faith — it is presumption. We put our faith in things that we have some reason to believe based in objective reality. There are objective reasons why the teachings of the Bible merit our faith. On the other hand, in your own words, “There is no objective evidence that could make you want to read this book (the Urantia Book). All evidence is in the realm of personal spiritual experience.” That is a definition of presumption, not of faith.
MJ, I do wish for you the best and even today I have prayed for you. Let me know any time I can be of service to you.
God bless,
Freddy